Theater: Guthrie Theater

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Called “a 21st century dream factory” by Time magazine, the new Guthrie Theater boasts three stages, a full-service restaurant, pre-show dining, numerous bars, some of the best views of Minneapolis, and amazing performances that get people talking and keep them talking long after the last curtain call.

One of these powerful productions is Faith Healer, running at the Guthrie from October 17 to December 6, 2009.

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling, known throughout Ireland and the United States as a preeminent director and scholar of Brian Friel’s work, will honor the legendary Irish playwright’s 80th birthday by returning to his acting roots to play the title role in this exalting tale of faith healer Frank Hardy, his wife Grace, and talent manager Teddy. Haunted by shared memories, each character relays their own version of a single story and how they are ultimately broken by a final, fatal event. Dowling will take the stage opposite Sally Wingert and Raye Birk. Tickets range from $24 to $60.

Another must-see Guthrie show is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This holiday classic will receive a new adaptation by Barbara Field, with Gary Gisselman directing for the ninth consecutive season, and legendary stage and screen actor Peter Michael Goetz returning to play Ebenezer Scrooge.

The 90-minute, no intermission retelling of the story is one that director Gisselman is excited to try out after having staged the production for the past eight years. “I always thought that this story should be told in one breath, especially as it relates to the rhythm of Scrooge’s dreams,” says Gisselman. “It is one of the world’s greatest ghost stories—one that you don’t want to stop until it’s over—so it is exciting to be working with Barbara and Peter as we craft a new adaptation in celebration of the Guthrie’s 35th annual staging.”

Goetz (Herbert Soppitt in J.B. Priestley’s When We Are Married) is no stranger to the Guthrie’s perennial holiday classic, having first appeared in the theater’s original adaptation as Charles Dickens—a role he performed from 1975-1978—and later returning to play Scrooge in 2001, 2002, and 2003 under the direction of Gisselman.

“I am thrilled with Gary’s plans for the 35th annual production of this beloved holiday classic,” Guthrie Director Joe Dowling says. “With a 90-minute running time, and the wonderful Peter Michael Goetz as Scrooge, A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie will appeal to families this year more than ever before.”

Performances of A Christmas Carol begin November 19 and continue through December 31 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Priority seating is currently available to season ticket holders (call the Season Ticket Office at 612-225-6238) and groups of 20 or more (call the Group Sales Office at 612-225-6244). Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 8 at 11 a.m. Single tickets are priced from $29 to $70 and can be purchased through the Guthrie Box Office at 612-377-2224, 877-44-STAGE, or online at www.guthrietheater.org.